The Girl On The Train review: Parineeti Chopra starrer loses track

The Girl On The Train review: This weekend, I watched the Netflix thriller 'The Girl On The Train'. Directed by Ribhu Dasgupta, the Parineeti Chopra starrer has been inpsired by the best selling Paula Hawkins novel with the same title. But I have not read the book. However, I found Parineeti Chopra's portrayal of the protagonist quite intriguing in terms of her performance. But the film? Well....

Overall, the film is a complete let-down in terms of how it structures the story plotting and rolls out weakly structured characters that are wasted on Parineeti Chopra and Aditi Rao Hydari. Sloppy direction has wrecked the Bollywood version of 'The Girl On The Train'.

The Girl On The Train review: What's disappointing?

Racing across a gamut of turbulent emotions and situations such as infidelity, betrayal, blackmail and a police investigation, The Girl On The Train fails to convince the audience 'what is really going on'.

Putting up an outstanding 'dark' performance, Parineeti Chopra - as Mira Kapoor - portrays the inner turmoil of a successful lawyer who loses everything at one go and finds her life spiralling out of her control. However, the storyline and its stereotyping adds nothing to complement her efforts of bring the film's narrative to life.

Fleeting glimpses of the lovely and luminous Aditi Rao Hydari brings a silver lining of hope to the narrative. However, the disturbed character she tries to portray suffers from lack of depth and the weak narrative lets her down. A weakly structured character cannot rise to the occasion no matter how well she performs in the role.

In the film, characterisation is weak, so are the dialogues and the situations that keep evolving and throwing the whole story off track. Women are shown to be at the mercy of manipulative men who want to cheat them.

'The Girl On The Train' could have offered a brilliant take on several contemporary issues by threading them together as it makes an attempt to show today's young Indians are forced to tackle - alchoholism, mental illness, gas lighting, etc.

How far has it steered itself away from the bestselling English novel - only readers can pass the verdict as I haven't watched it.

But this film gives up totally on itself with several loopholes in its narratives, weak characterisation and screenplay and sloppy direction. That's the tragedy.

Comments

dee Nambiar said…

The movie didn't meet my expectations. The book was better.

March 12, 2021 at 1:51 PM

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences. [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste. You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being born

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. Frequently Asked Questions About Lighting Deepam at Home Collating most queries related to how to light the deepam at home, I'v

What is the story of Shivaji? The great son of a great mother called Jijabai

Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior whose guerrilla warfare tactics are fleetingly mentioned in Indian history textbooks, is increasingly relevant today. A Hindi movie 'Tanhaji' starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol got many of us curious to know more about this warrior. Sadly, we don't seem to have much information in our history textbooks! [ READ: Significance of Surya Argya and How do you Light Deepam? ] Source: Anjali Natarajan on Twitter Shivaji Maharaj: The Great Son of a Great Mother Jijabai The more I read about Shivaji Maharaj, the more fascinated I am. I wondered why we have learned so little about this great warrior and his great mother Jijabai, and why public memory has been totally erased from most history books! As a mother, I have always been fascinated by how some of India's greatest and most revered men and women are individuals who were deeply influenced at an early age by their mothers. Bharat is a country that belongs to great mothers who

Gayatri Mantra as Panchamukhi: Get it right or let it go

Most people do not understand the importance of chanting the Gayatri mantra because they are not aware of its power. It is only when I began to read Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's teachings that I learned how sacred and powerful the chanting of the Gayatri mantra is. The Vedas represent the breath of God. The Gayatri mantra is the very basis of the Vedas. Try not to undertake chanting the Gayatri mantra as a light endeavor or as a hobby. It has to be chanted with faith, discipline and purity of mind and body. Be steady with your sadhana if you want to reap the spiritual dividend associated with the Gayatri mantra and never once hesitate once you decide to do it. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba said that the Gayatri Mantra is referred to as Pancha Mukhi, the Goddess with five faces that represent the five pranas or life forces. Here's more on it. . Also read: The Power of OM Chant the Gayatri Mantra correctly: Pause Five Times Here are some important thi

Vidyarambham 2019: What is the literal translation of Ezhuthiniruthu?

Vidyarambham 2019 will forever remain one of my happiest moments of the year. Growing up, the festival of Vijayadashami is linked to my happiest memories with my cousins and parents, a remembrance of piping hot prasadam and books that are carefully wrapped and labelled and then, placed in the puja room. [READ: How and Why Malayalis celebrate Vidyarambham] [Image: Pixabay] Believe it or not, three times a day, a puja would be conducted at home. Those were the days when we didn't have domestic help as an integral part of inside kitchen chores. This meant that everyone pitched in. Yes, it seems almost unthinkable nowadays. Back then, all family members would gather and pitch in for cooking and cleaning and so on. A sense of togetherness is what made the festival so special. For children, this became THE season to not have to study anything, watch TV and play outdoors with other cousins and be up to all kinds of mis

Petals!

Search This Blog